By April Chong

AS ST Patrick's School marks its 75th anniversary today, it will also celebrate its climb out of the doldrums.

The school went through a rough patch in the 1990s: It was beset by discipline problems and its academic record was less than stellar.

Out in the sporting field, the Catholic mission school known for its prowess in soccer, cricket and track events was also on the decline.

Principal Lucas Lak said part of this could be put down to its brother school St Joseph's Institution going independent in the late 1980s, a development which old boys and teachers of St Pat's believe lured away some of the school's better students.

But rosy days look to be returning to this Katong landmark.

In the past four years, St Pat's managed to make the ranks as a 'value-added' school, which means students who enter it after their Primary School Leaving Examination fare better than was expected of them at the O levels.

It has also bounced back to being one of the top 50 schools here.

Sports-wise, St Pat's is also clinching top spots at the zonal and national levels in shooting, cricket and soccer.

Past and present Patricians say this is in no small way attributable to Mr Lak and his team.

After he joined the school in 2002, Mr Lak introduced the Different Strokes programme to lick the discipline problem.

Caning is no longer the main solution. Instead, students are counselled and good behaviour is affirmed.

Mr Lak, when asked about his reputation for hunting down truants, laughed and admitted: 'Initially, I did go around the blocks of flats, the food centre and even Parkway Parade. I made friends with the residents and residents' committees and worked hand in hand with them to get the boys back into school.'

He has since cut down on his patrols.

A new activity centre in the school is now the magnet keeping the boys in. It has board games and computers loaded with the latest games.

Getting old boys back as teachers also seems to have buoyed school morale.

Mr Lak said of the dozen former students in his teaching staff of 78: 'They have the Patrician spirit and a strong sense of belonging, and want to see the school succeed.'

Mr Joseph Peterson, 38, who has returned to his alma mater as a physics teacher, said: 'As an old boy, I have the desire to contribute in whatever way I can.'

Before 1933, the land where the school now stands was used as a seaside resort for the Christian brothers. The growing population in the east coast prompted the building of this school by the sea. St Pat's lost its seafront location, however, when land was reclaimed for the Marine Parade housing development.

When war broke out in 1941, the school was occupied by the Australian army. Then the Japanese showed up on the doorstep, turning the school into a backdrop for fierce fighting.

When the school added a new hall in the 1970s, headless skeletons, skulls and even a samurai sword were unearthed at the site.

After the war, the school resumed its normal teaching functions. Retiree Francis Paulus, 71, remembers being a student in 1946 in classrooms so crowded that desks had to be shared.

The primary school students were moved to another site to form St Stephen's School in 1957; briefly, in the 1970s, St Pat's had female students in its pre-university classes.

Among the prominent old boys are former deputy prime minister Tony Tan, Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo and top civil servant Moses Lee.

Dr Tan, a student there in the 1940s and 1950s, fondly recalled the Christian brothers playing sports with the boys every afternoon - 'football, hockey, tennis - even swimming, because the sea was just there at that time'.

The school churned out sporting giants between the 1950s and the 1970s, including runners Cheah Kim Teck and Godfrey Jalleh, who broke records at the Asian Games in Teheran in 1974.

Sports and studies aside, it would seem that the biggest takeaway for many students was the strict discipline instilled by the Christian brothers, who taught some of the subjects as well as catechism.

'I cannot remember the content taught, but I learnt to be responsible, disciplined and to be the best that I can be,' said Dr Tan.

Archbishop Nicholas Chia will be the guest of honour at St Pat's anniversary dinner, to be held in the school this evening. About 750 old boys will also be there.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 30, 2008.